Maybe I'm showing my age, but I do my best to avoid having to use a self-checkout aisle when I'm shopping.

Not that I'm afraid of new technology. I'm not. I tried one of the self-checkout aisles once - discovered it is pretty easy to do - but regardless, I've decided to avoid them like the plague.

Call me old fashioned, but I like service when I'm shopping. Not that I like to be tailed by a clerk as soon as I walk in the door, but once I wheel my cart up to the checkout at Walmart, Lowes or my local grocery store, I want a store employee to scan my stuff as I place them on the belt - and then I want another one to bag them, load them into my cart, and cheerfully haul that car to my car, where this same cheerful person will load my car.

And no, I don't want to tip anyone for this service. But I do like it when the checker, bagger and hauler are friendly, quick, personable, and cheerful. Extra points for if they act like they remember me from past visits, and are happy to see me again.

I guess if I wanted a totally automated shopping trip, complete with self-checkout, well then I'll choose online shopping. And I do that, too.

I'm sure the stores with the self-checkout equipment see it as a way to save on personnel costs. And I appreciate their interest in reducing overhead - especially if they pass the savings on to me.

But I suspect that the savings that might accrue from self-checkout could easily be lost via customers who walk out and never return due to frustration, not to mention those who will inevitably try to cheat the scanners somehow.

Anyone else have any thoughts on their experiences with self-checkout? Love it? Hate it? Let's talk...

I like both. If we have a lot of produce, or a lot of groceries in general, we prefer to go through the checkout. But if we just have a few items and/or the lineups are long, we head for the self-checker. We've rarely ever had a problem with them, even hubby, at 71, likes the self-checkout for those small trips.

A story about the self-checkers at the airport...my best friend was heading home after a nice visit at our place. We underestimated how busy the airport would be and encountered a huge line-up for the ticket counter...so long, that it was clear she wouldn't make her flight. We noticed these brand new self-checkers, and decided to give it a try, since she didn't have any luggage to be checked...she put in her info and credit card (for ID purposes) and bingo, she was done and walking away with her boarding pass within 5 minutes. When the people in the lineup saw how easy it had been for her, many followed her lead. She not only escaped the long wait (and possibly missing her flight), she got a great seat on the plane too! Nowadays they're everywhere, but at that time, they had only just been installed a day or two before and everyone was afraid to try them.

_________________________When you don't like a thing, change it. If you can't change it, change the way you think about it.

I do both, no problem. Like Yonuh, I'll head for the self-checkout if I only have a few things. I think it all runs the gamut, at least where I live. Sometimes the checkers are whizzes and sometimes they're so slow I feel like screaming.

Oh, at Wal-Mart they no longer put the bags in your cart; they load them in the carousel and it's your job to unload them. If you're buying a lot, you need to keep moving! There's certainly no one to take the stuff out, either, although there are folks who do that at a smaller grocery here in town. To be honest, I just want to get it over with.

Oh, self-checkouts aren't new here. We have probably had them for at least 5 years or more.

Eagle Heart, I'd forgotten about my experience with self-check in at the airport. You're right about that. We tried it last time we flew, which was probably two years ago... It WAS super fast and easy. But to me, that's different than having to self scan all my groceries.

And Ellemm, at MY Wal-Mart, they still load the grocery sacks into my cart. But I DO have to take my cart to the car and unload it myself.

However, at my local Piggly Wiggly (hate that name!) the baggers still take the groceries out and they have a drive-up area where they'll also load my car for me. I DO appreciate that extra bit of service....

Oh, they used to load the bags into the carts here at Wal-Mart, but seem to have quietly stopped doing it. You're expected to get busy loading them yourself as you try to keep an eye on the register and hang onto your coupons! Most of the folks are very nice, though; they're under a lot of pressure and still manage to be pleasant.

At a few of our smaller stores they'll carry out just about anything for you. I'm pretty darn good at using the scanners now!Remember when we used to write checks to pay? I don't think I have done that at a grocery store for 5-10 years.

I haven't used those self-check out machines at grocery store lineups --yet. I guess I have to use my credit card? 'Cause my personal rule of thumb is never use credit card for my groceries. It forces me to pay cheaper basics in life, ie. food , by cash. It forces me to budget properly by experiencing the disappearance of money immediately when I buy basics.

And no, I don't use debit at all. Not safe.

Yea, have been using the airport check-in machines for past ...8 yrs. I've taken a number of trips 'cause Canada is a huge country. Very convenient those airport machines.

Hi Orchid, I agree with your desire not to use credit cards at the grocery store. I too, think it is a "slippery slope" from a money management point of view -- and just generally a bad idea -- to buy necessities with credit.

But I was pretty sure the self-check machines DO accept cash. So I went and searched on Google, and found this "eHow" article which tells how to use coupons at the machines.

In the step-by-step directions, it mentions that you have to select your method of payment, and indicates that "cash" is one of the options.

SO: Not that I'm advocating that you use these self-check lines -- because Lord knows, I have been avoiding them, and you ought to know by now that I certainly wouldn't advocate that you do something I won't -- but it does seem that they DO accept cash.

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